Thinking Man's Corner

Article By: Leo H.

Every range has one. 

The retired legend with the battered ball cap, still running the same 7-yard, single-target drill from 1993… and calling it “tactics.” 
He’s not a villain; he’s a Fudd—a career firearms instructor frozen in time, resisting modern, evidence-based police training like it’s some YouTube marvel’s current trend. 

The problem isn’t age. 

It’s the refusal to update when the streets, the science, and the threats have all donned new hats. 

Don’t be that instructor. 

Don’t be a Fudd. 

 Who (or What) Is a Fudd? 

A Fudd is the training officer who treats “I’ve been doing this 30 years” as peer-reviewed data. 

Their academy certification predates email, but they’re still sure your red dot will “get you killed in the streets.” 

Classic signs: 

• Lives on a static 7-yard line like it’s a rent-controlled apartment. 
• Quotes “street experience” from a decade when pagers were cool. 
• Uses overhead transparencies older than half your recruit class. 

They don’t test. 
They don’t measure. 
They just repeat. 

 The Gospel According to Fudd 

Fudd Doctrine comes in familiar sound bites: 

• “We fire two and scan. That’s how it’s always been done.”
• “You won’t have time for a dot in a real gunfight.”
• “You don’t need a weapon light—use your flashlight like a real cop.”
• “High-capacity mags just make you spray and pray.”

These rules feel safe and orderly on the range. 
They look good from behind a clipboard. 

They are wearing every piece of gear they ever bought.

But in real, chaotic violence, they often create training scars: mechanical rituals, fake scans, and magical thinking about human performance under stress. 

 Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks 

Here’s the twist: experience actually matters. 

Some of the best instructors you can find have gray in their hair and war stories in their rearview mirror. 

But they also: 

• Run red dot pistols AND can still smoke you with irons. 
• Use weapon-mounted lights AND teach lowlight decision-making, not “bullets as flashlights.” 
• Teach movement, problem-solving, and decision-making—not just “stand here and meet the par time.” 
  

Being experienced doesn’t make you a Fudd. 
Being done learning does. 

 Static 7 Yards vs. the World 

The Fudd loves the 7-yard line like a comfort blanket. 
Everything happens there. 
Every drill, every qual, every “gunfight.” 

Reality check: 

People miss at close range under stress. 
Fights happen at bad angles, in bad light, around bad cover. 
Movement, vision, and decision-making matter more than your favorite canned drill. 

We still need precision shots at 7. 

We just can’t pretend the entire job fits neatly between two orange cones and a whistle blast. 

 Gear Wars: Red Dots, Lights, and Hurt Feelings 

For the Fudd, new gear is a personal attack. 

• Red dot sight? “Crutch.” 
• Weapon-mounted light? “Toy.”
• High-cap pistol? “You only need six if you can shoot.” 

Modern trainers see it differently: 

• Optics expand what aging eyes can do. 
• Lights let you see what you might have to shoot—or not shoot. 
• Capacity buys time when the world doesn’t cooperate. 

You still need fundamentals. 
You still need judgment. 
You just don’t need to pretend it’s 1987 to prove you’re the “real police.” 

 Arbitrary Rules and Accidental Scars 

Fudds love arbitrary range rules masquerading as tactics: 

“Always fire two, then scan.” 

Pretty soon, officers are racking off two rounds by habit, not by need, then performing a head swivel that sees nothing. 

“Never move; it’s unsafe.” 

So recruits learn to plant their feet in the middle of the problem and solve everything with trigger presses. 

“Don’t reload unless I tell you.” 

Great for control. Terrible for teaching survival skills. 

These rules keep the line neat, but they don’t keep you alive. 
In real fights, the combatants must make all the decisions in sufficient time to prevail. 

 Don’t Be a Fudd: Academy Survival Tips 

If you’re a recruit: 

 Ask “why?” respectfully. 
 Notice which instructors can explain the why without getting angry. 
 Seek out the ones who demo, not just lecture. 

If you’re an instructor (or planning to be): 

• Read modern research and performance data. 
• Shoot with younger cops and competitive shooters. 
• Take a class where you’re the worst shooter in the room. 
• Compete in local matches to see what works under a bit of stress.

Three simple rules to avoid Fuddhood: 

1. Never let your résumé outrank reality. 
2. Update your curriculum as often as your oil. 
3. If your favorite phrase is “that’s how we’ve always done it,” you’re overdue for a hard reset. 

 Closing Thoughts for the Fudd Inclined 

Past experience is a gift. 
Untested tradition is a hazard. 

Train based on today’s world, not on your recollection of the foggy past. 

DON’T BE A FUDD!

 “ Be vewy vewy quiet… I’m sticking to the owd ways. They’re much mowe wewiabwe than these newfangwed gadgets!” – Elmer Fudd

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